EVER-GROWING AIR STRENGTH

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLXII, Issue 15242, 7 January 1943, Page 3

EVER-GROWING AIR STRENGTH

OPERATIONS ON GUADALCANAR. United Press Assn.— By Blecti'r Telegraph —Copyright. (N.Z.E.F. Official War Correspondent) .) GUADALCANAR, December 24. The ever-growing and ever-widen-ing air strength may be the key to the role Guadalcanal- is destined to flay i ll the phase of the war in the South Pacific. While the elusive Japanese ground forces still on the Island are being gradually softened and pushed further and further away from their beachhead the island is extending its development as an aitstriking base.

It may still be held that all the air operations based on Guadalcanal* ar© in defence of th© island even if they extend to enemy supply bases sa far distant as Buka and Rabaul, but the significant fact is that in recent weeks the scene of air combat activity has shifted away from the sky above Henderson Field itself. Apart from “Washing Machine Charlie,’ a lon© high-flying nuisance raider operating by night, Japanese aircraft- have not visited tin* American ba&e for six weeks. Their absence dates from the* staggering air and se a *losses suffered by the enemy in mid-November. And. in the time that has elapsed since the growing Allied Air Fore© with planes ranging grom Flying Fortresses to new fighters has been bitting hard and often at targets from the enemy’s froi\t lino to his far-off bases. Tt would be foolish to believe however, that the Japanese have made their last attempt to retake Guadalcanar or at least nullify its usefulness to the Allies. On the island itself the enemy may be expected t© resist with desperate cunning and endurance whatever move is made by the United States Army and Marine Corps to clean his troops out altogether. The Japanese are known to have fairly good stocks of ammunition and supplies have been reaching them at night to a limited extent partly, it is believed, by parachute, and partly by submarine or small surface vessel. Outside the island, too, the enemy has again been active. Aerial reconnaissance recently disclosed suspicious signs at Munda Point on the north-west tip of New Georgia island. only about 180 miles from Henderson Field on Guadalcanal*. Observers saw a small clearing about 50 yards long and 50 yards wide which in a few days blossomed into a good-sized aircraft runway. Tt is believed that the Japanese did as much work as they could on their new Munda field without moving all the coconut palm. 4. When they wore obliged to clear the trees they concealed the clearing by prop-

ing up in it the tops of the palms. As soon as the purpose of this activity wa& seen American plain’s began a. shuttle bombing service to Munda by day and night. Munda was added to the list of bases which include Buka and Buin set down for nightly nuisance raids. Our aircraft ha\*o been staying over those targets for from tw r o to four hours at intervals, dropping flares and bombs and even empty liquor bottles which mak© an eeri© whistling noise, and which incidentally have set everyone on Guadalcanal* asking: (1) Where did the bottles come from? and (2) who emptied them ? Delayed and hindered by these attacks th© Japanese persisted with the field and yesterday the first planes in any number were observed there—seven of them, all Zeros—were destroyed by American raiders.

Douglas dive-bombers, Grumman Wildcats and Bell Airn cobras went to Munda again at breakfast time this morning and destroyed 22 more Zeros, some on the ground and others in th© act taking off, without loss to themselves. They raided twice mor© during th© day and ill the third sortie caught landing barges off the shore, sinking four of them.

The air here is never free from th© sound of planes. It is like Crete with the boot on the other foot. We watch Army and Marin© Corps fighters streaking off' to strafe the Japanese lines a few miles to the west, dive-bombers and their escorts leaving on the Munda run, reconnaissance bombers cruising out across the sea, and giant Flying Fortresses carrying their great bomb loads away on long-range missions.